My Heart
by neverbelieveagain
Summary: After discovering that Lucas has been cheating on her with her own best friend Peyton, Brooke decides that a bit of revenge is in order, though she swears to Lucas that she never meant for Peyton to die. Then again, Brooke's always been a good liar.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This idea just came to me, as many do. However I actually liked this one after starting to write it, unlike most of my other scrapped story plots.**

**This one is set around Season 1, Episode 1.15. It's a bit altered, though. Lucas never got into his accident and he also did not break up with Brooke. Though apart from that, you'll notice that this first chapter will strongly mirror Episode 1.15.**

**I'm disclaiming right now that I don't own One Tree Hill. I looked for those copyright papers and they still read 'not mine,' oh well. And you'll probably see some more adult-centric themes and swearing, so don't read it if you don't like it.**

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

The Betrayal

"Lucas," she cried, bawling and panicked. "She's dead! P-Peyton, s-sh-he's dead!" His previously empty thoughts switched immediately to ones of pain for the loss he was suffering. This was unbelievable, impossible, unfathomable. It was a mere six hours ago when he was talking to Peyton- an amiable "see you later" would apparently be the last words they shared. But that could not be true, his mind insisted. No, he decided firmly, this was a mistake. In all his memories of her, she was alive. So vividly alive that there was no way she was currently existing otherwise (or not existing at all).

His mind kept replaying the past minute. His cell phone rang, it played the same tune it did every time Brooke called, an energetic little piece of music that came with the cellular device. It was seven fifty-two, and there was nothing that suggested that this phone call was anything out of the ordinary. Lucas picked up the cell phone, flipping it open and placing it to his ear.

"Hello?" he answered, expecting Brooke to talk to him about anything really, she was random like that. It could be an idea for a date, or really any random thought that she had about life. Brooke loved just talking to Lucas, about absolutely anything under the sun.

Instead of either of those options, Brooke informed Lucas that Peyton was dead. He knew even before Brooke said anything that something was horribly wrong. The first thing he heard when answering the phone was Brooke's labored breathing and her crying. While her crying wasn't a sure sign of disaster, the way she was breathing - the heavy heaving noises, as if she could barely breathe at all - that was what shook Lucas. Brooke was horribly, awfully afraid; and that was definitely a valid cause for worry.

It seemed as if millions of painful hours had passed, but deep down, Lucas knew that in reality, it had only been seconds. His mind tuned back into the fact that Brooke still was on the other end of the phone, possibly waiting for a response that he could not think of forming.

Before he could really think about what to say, Brooke kept talking. Her voice was a lower, even more worried, hoarse whisper, "I killed her, Luke. I killed Peyton."

"What?" The response came easily this time, but it was another impossibility. Brooke was Peyton's best friend, if Peyton was somehow dead, there was absolutely no way Brooke had a hand in her death.

"I-it was an a-accident, I swear," she breathed, her voice strained and heavy. "Sh-she's dead, Lucas." There were more sobs as the truth kept hitting Brooke over and over. Lucas felt the same way, as if he were lost in an ocean and waves just kept smacking him down until he was immersed underwater, unable to breathe.

Lucas soon realized that he needed to begin to take action. It was up to Brooke, he understood. If she wanted this to be known, she would go to the police. If she didn't, she would ask that it be kept a secret, maybe even ask Lucas to help cover it up. There were a million possibilities besides those options as well, but Lucas didn't have the capacity to think about those on top of everything else he was currently storing in his thoughts.

"Brooke, where are you?" he demanded.

There was silence for a moment, as if Brooke had to focus her thoughts on relearning where she was. "Her house," she whispered. "Peyton's house."

And that was when he snapped the phone shut, snatching his keys and running off to the car. Consequences were damned. All he could think about was getting to Brooke and Peyton as soon as possible.

* * *

_Eight hours earlier..._

He planted a chaste kiss on her lips. She dove in, needing more. She lined his neck with kisses, while her hands found the edge of his shirt. Pulling that up over his head, she was forced to calm her anxious lips.

"Peyton," his voice was low and grainy. "I'm gonna tell Brooke soon."

"Yeah, yeah," she agreed halfheartedly, if that. Brooke was the farthest thing from her mind as she continued her ministrations on her best friend's boyfriend.

Lucas pulled away from a kiss Peyton thrust on his lips. "No, seriously," he insisted. "You know, it's not right. I'm going to tell her and then we can really be together." His hand caressed the side of her waiting face. "Nothing is going to keep us apart," he promised.

Peyton broke out in a warm smile, one Lucas mimicked. Their lips met in a deeper, more passionate kiss. Her shirt and his pants were discarded, clothes being haphazardly shewn across the floor.

"I love you," he breathed.

"I love you," she returned.

Neither noticed that the light on Peyton's web cam was a lit-up bright blue, indicating that it was on. Neither knew they were putting on quite a show for everyone watching. Neither remembered that Lucas left his computer on at home, that he didn't even bother to close out of the Punk and Disorderly website before leaving to see her.

* * *

A knock came at the door. Karen looked up to see the smiling face of Brooke as she motioned for the young girl to come in.

A timid, "Hi," was all that escaped Brooke's lips.

"Hey," Karen replied kindly, offering Brooke a seat next to hers at the kitchen table, which was currently coated in pictures and various scrapbook paraphernalia. "Lucas is still sleeping," Karen informed the brunette, assuming that was why she was here.

"Oh, that's fine," Brooke said, taking the seat she was offered. "Actually, I was wondering if we could talk?" Brooke asked, nervous. Karen's mouth stretched into a kind smile that soothed Brooke's nerves.

"Of course, Brooke," she replied. "I've been meaning to bond a bit with my son's new girlfriend."

Brooke chuckled politely, her eyes washing over the pictures. She registered Karen with her arms around various people, waving to the camera. She also saw many pictures of old city and countryside, both gorgeous landscapes.

"What's all this?" Brooke asked conversationally. She knew it had to be a scrapbook of her trip to Italy Karen was making, but at least this question would break the ice.

"I'm making a scrapbook," Karen confirmed. "I didn't have much time to see all of Italy, but I would like a nice place to keep all the pictures that I did get. And I've always loved to make scrapbooks. They're fun, productive, calming."

"They definitely are," Brooke agreed.

Karen's interest was noticeably piqued. "You've made one?"

"Yeah. Just one. A book of my life, basically, from start to finish. It's a work in progress, but I really like it. I add a page every year for my birthday," Brooke informed Karen.

Karen smiled, arranging a picture of her standing next to a tall, old fountain and the words 'Piazza de Martin' out of stickers on a page. "That sounds nice."

"Thanks."

There were a few questions asked by Brooke, mostly just ones inquiring how Italy was and which landmarks were which. The afternoon continued on peacefully, Brooke and Karen making light conversation as Karen steadily glued pictures into the pages of her newest scrapbook.

It was a bit later when Karen suddenly realized that Lucas was still sleeping. She intended on waking him up before noon, but Brooke came over around that time and the minutes slipped away; soon becoming another hour. Her son was still sleeping at one in the afternoon, and her motherly instincts feared something could be wrong. "Oh," she said, startled. "I should check on Lucas."

Karen rose, but Brooke stopped her. "Is it okay if I check on him?" she asked.

"Sure," Karen agreed, nodding.

Brooke walked down the hallway, peeking into the door where she knew Lucas' room to be. She quickly realized that it was empty. Wherever Lucas was, he wasn't at his own house like his mother believed him to be. Brooke assumed he took a quick jog down to the Rivercourt to shoot some hoops. That is, until she turned around, ready to rejoin Karen in the kitchen.

Her eyes were locked on the computer in disgust, shock, and anger. Lucas had left a web page pulled up on his computer, one Brooke knew to be the artsy website her best friend Peyton frequented, the one where she had a live feed coming from her room at all times that coincided with her web cam being on.

Their legs were tangled together, what should have been four limbs more closely resembled a twisted tree trunk. Their hips were frequently meeting, her smaller hipbones melting into his at every collision. Their lips were fused together, as if separation and death were synonymous. Their bodies thrashed together, each movement delivering a hard jab in the gut to Brooke. Her best friend and her boyfriend were having sex. Practically in front of her.

Brooke's mind was sent reeling as she felt rage pumping through her bloodstream. She was put on an autopilot of sorts, whipping her phone out of her pocket and sending a text within seconds, all done thoughtlessly, as if it were second nature.

She watched as the scene unfolded in front of her. Their moment of passion was rudely interrupted, and Lucas had to flee quickly.

"Shit," he cursed upon reading the text. It was from Brooke.

"What's wrong?" Peyton asked, half-curiously and half-angrily, seeing as she didn't take kindly to being cut off.

Lucas gathered his clothes, redressing hurriedly. "I have to go, I'm sorry, we'll talk later, promise," was all he gave as an explanation, planting a kiss on Peyton's forehead and then leaving.

Peyton sighed, resigning her anger. She was sure there was a good explanation, it was up to her to be more understanding. "See you later," she called after him, a more upbeat tone to her voice.

Brooke abandoned the computer, though not before shutting down Lucas' end. She decided not to let him know that she knew, not yet anyway. She returned to Karen, forcing herself to look the same as when she left: happy and unknowing.

"Everything's good?" Karen assumed in an asking tone.

"Yup," Brooke replied. "Luke left a note, he saw us talking and didn't want to interrupt, but he went to head down to the Rivercourt. But tell me more about that ice cream you were talking about, what's it called?" she asked, successfully changing the subject to avoid further discussion of Lucas as Karen rattled on about gelato. Brooke tried to focus, but she found that the anger buzzing in her ears made it impossible to make out Karen's words.

She tried to slow her thoughts down. The rage kept churning in her stomach, giving her an awfully nauseous feeling. But this was not enough to overpower the eerily rational Brooke. She was forming plans at the speed of light, deciding which plan of action would be the best to take. So far she knew what she would do in the immediate future. Act normal with Lucas, as if she knew nothing more than she did before seeing the video; and she had also decided to pay her beloved best friend Peyton a visit. Brooke's anger seemed to be more focused on Peyton than Lucas. She had an overwhelming need to destroy the curly blond.

"...but my favorite was definitely this gelato I had in this tiny corner of Sicily, this _limone lampone _mix I ate. Oh goodness, it was the best thing I think I've ever had, Brooke," Karen gushed, impervious to the fact that Brooke had drifted off as she was talking.

Brooke came back to Earth, smiling. "Wow that sounds amazing. You'll have to take me for gelato one time, huh? My treat," she joked. The older brunette shared a laugh with the younger one before Brooke acted as if she was surprised when she noticed how late it was.

Brooke rose in a flurry of pretend fluster. "Oh, Karen, this has been amazing, but I almost forgot I've got cheerleading practice at two. I'm so sorry to run on you, but they're all useless without their captain, you know."

Karen smiled knowingly, as if she was releasing Brooke from her presence. "Of course. Have fun, Brooke."

"I'll try, we'll see if any of those girls can nail a routine, though knowing my luck..." she trailed off as they shared a look of amusement. Brooke had one foot through the door, her hand gripping the doorknob with too much malice, as she turned around. "Oh, and Karen?"

Karen looked up, locking eyes with Brooke, who was grinning as widely and happily as ever. "Yes?"

"Could you do me a favor and not tell Lucas I was here? This can be our little bonding secret, you know?" Brooke proposed.

"Sure, Brooke," was the last thing she heard from Karen as she responded with a quick "thanks," and rushed to her car. The cheerleading practice was not a complete lie. Except it was at three, not two, and that meant Brooke had an hour to plan her conversation with Peyton that was sure to take place later that night.

Brooke drove off toward her home, gripping the steering wheel angrily with her foot slammed on the gas the whole way.

The only thing Brooke could hear was in her head. The same scene kept replaying over and over, intensely vivid for something that had not happened yet. It was Brooke and Peyton, face-to-face, locked in a confrontation. Peyton looked nervously scared while Brooke looked intimidatingly furious. Brooke heard her cold, detached voice utter the six chilling words, "You are dead to me, Peyton."

* * *

**A/N: So that's it. Brooke thinks she's killed Peyton, she called Lucas to tell him that and possibly get some help from her boyfriend. Then you saw a bit of Lucas/Peyton back story and why Brooke could possibly have a motive to kill Peyton...**

**Anyway, as you can see, I have changed around a few things. Lucas was never in his accident, he also did not break up with Brooke, therefore he and Peyton were definitely cheating when Brooke saw them on the web cam.**

**I hope you liked this and I hope you keep reading. The next chapter should definitely be up soon, seeing as this idea is fresh in my mind.**

**Feel free to tell me what you think, too! I love every bit of it, down to the last space. It makes my day! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 2 ahoy. Flashbacks are in italics, I think that's all you need to know right now. Enjoy... :)**

* * *

The Mistake

A chilling thought struck him as he stood outside of her house. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know where her body was, or even what happened to her. Brooke could've chopped Peyton into little pieces or stabbed her in the face or shot her in the head or so many other irreprehensible thoughts now running through Lucas' head. He knew it was ridiculous, that there was no way Brooke could've done those things to Peyton. He still was insistent that there was no way Brooke killed Peyton, his mind still acknowledged that as truth.

Lucas swallowed hard and opened the door, preparing himself for some sort of awful scene. He didn't see anything at first, but at the noise of the door, Brooke had come rushing into the room. She let out a sigh of relief once she identified the person at the door, and promptly began to bawl in his arms. "L-Lucas wh-what ha-have I d-done?" she wailed, her only answer was a soothing rub on the back from Lucas.

"It's okay, Brooke. It's okay," he repeated. Lucas was dreading seeing Peyton dead, dreading confirmation that the impossible had become possible. He tried to act as brave as he could.

"S-she's in the living room," Brooke sniffled, answering the unasked questions that were reeling through Lucas' mind. Brooke pulled on Lucas' hand, letting her smaller one find comfort in his larger and stronger one as he led them into the living room.

Lucas gagged, but otherwise showed no sign of disgust, though he was quite disgusted. Her body was twisted into a pile on the floor. Peyton's legs were both facing in the same direction, her knees bent the same way so that each leg formed a sort of arrow. While those leg-made arrows pointed to the left, her torso was thrown to the right. One of her arms was casually collapsed onto her own chest while the other was closer to her head. A pool of blood was seeping from a gash in her forehead, and that was when Lucas noticed with much horror that Peyton's eyes were half-open, as if she were tiredly observing what was going on.

The scene caused Lucas' stomach to do back flips, one after another. He tried not to focus on the blood. The pool of blood was what separated the idea that she was merely sleeping from the true fact that she was dead. Lucas turned around, letting Brooke bury her face in his shoulder. She was sobbing, heavily, and Lucas tried to shake her out of it. He was having much difficulty calming himself down, there was no way he could calm Brooke down as well.

"Shh, Brooke. Shh, it's going to be okay," he lied, running his hand through her hair then using his thumb to wipe away her tears, and finally cupping her face so that her chin was tilted up to him. "I know this is going to be hard, but you need to tell me exactly what happened."

Brooke choked on her own gasping breaths, shaking her head no. Lucas pulled her away from the crime scene, leading Brooke into the kitchen. Brooke collapsed at the table, taking the paper towel Lucas offered her and dabbing her eyes.

"Brooke, I don't know what's going to happen, but the first thing that needs to happen is that you need to tell me what happened," Lucas said slowly, trying to make Brooke hear each word. She seemed to be tuned out to the world.

_She checked her phone as she slammed her car door shut. Three text messages. The first was from Lucas, a quick lie of '_thanks for covering babe, I was at the rivercourt with skills love ya._' That was the only response she got from after sending Lucas a text informing him that his mom called her asking where he was, and she told him that he was with her. She supposed it wasn't really fair to be angry at him for lying about where he was, seeing as she lied to begin with. It left Brooke wondering when their relationship, and they themselves, became so full of lies._

_Brooke disregarded that thought and read the next message, an idiotic chain text from Theresa. She hastily pressed the 'next' button and read a text from Peyton. '_hey practice at 3, right?_' Brooke responded with a quick '_yes, be there & ready to go_,' hoping that her anger could somehow be translated into text form._

_She then charged upstairs and got ready for practice, throwing herself onto her bed in the hopes of absorbing the spare time she had. Spare time led to her reliving seeing Lucas and Peyton _together_, and she was tired of it. She needed to escape from her own mind. Brooke surrendered, though, and ended up leaving a half-hour early for cheer practice._

After that moment, Brooke's watery, bloodshot brown eyes connected with Lucas' confused blue ones. She took a breath and began to explain to him all the things he needed to know. "It was an accident," she started, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sure it was, Brooke," Lucas said reassuringly. Part of Brooke couldn't believe him. He's lied to her before, what's to say he isn't lying to her now? And after all, she was lying, so that seemed to make the idea of Lucas lying as well simply more plausible to Brooke.

In any event, her mind was reeling. She knew what happened, but how could she tell that to Lucas when he thought that Brooke had no idea of his and Peyton's tryst? Her mind quickly formulated an alternate plot, one that had the basic details of what happened, aside from the few key points that had anything to do with their argument.

"After cheer practice, I went home and changed. Then I came back over here to talk with Peyton." Brooke decided to leave out the fact that their "talk" was really more of a screaming match over Lucas. "We were coming downstairs because I was thirsty-" another lie "-and she got me a glass of water. When we went into the living room, she tripped on the rug and fell. Her head hit the corner of the table, and she started bleeding," Brooke's voice wavered, tears falling freely once again. "That was when I called you," she finished.

Lucas couldn't believe that something so innocent was how Peyton would die. It just didn't sound quite right. "That wasn't your fault, Brooke," he reassured her. "Come on," he said, rising from the table and slipping his hand around Brooke's. "We've got to call the police."

"I'm scared, Lucas," Brooke admitted, pulling on his hand. "What if they don't believe me?" she asked.

There was a pleading look in her eyes that made Lucas think that Brooke figured they would have a reason not to believe her. The idea gave Lucas the chills.

"They will," he promised, though he did not really know.

He led Brooke back into the living room, where Peyton's body lay. Keeping his back to the nightmarish sight, Lucas pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

Before hitting the 'send' button, he turned to Brooke. "I'm going to tell them that I was here, okay? We're going to tell them exactly what you told me except I was right here with you two the whole time, and I saw everything. Okay, Brooke?" Lucas' voice sounded much stronger and sure than he felt. This was all some twisted lie, and he hated himself for being involved. But another part of him felt a need to protect Brooke, and he knew that if he could corroborate the story, she'd be safe. Keeping Brooke and Peyton safe was all he wanted to do in the first place, and since he failed on Peyton's behalf, Lucas wanted to be sure that he could at least do that for Brooke.

All she could do in response was nod. Brooke's mind was somewhere else, somewhere far away. Lucas took a deep breath and made the call.

He was on the phone with the emergency operator for what seemed like forever to Brooke. She listened to all the questions that the woman asked, noticing that her voice sounded harsh and uncaring. Not that it was the operator's job to care, but Brooke still noticed. She listened to Lucas give a short explanation of what happened, then tell the operator Peyton's address. She tuned out after that, barely registering that Lucas was still answering some other questions. She didn't snap back to reality until Lucas closed his phone.

Brooke looked up at him, once again bursting into tears and falling into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, desperately wanting this to go away. He took once last glance at Peyton and walked over to her dead body.

Brooke stood and watched tearfully as Lucas took his thumb and forefinger, placing one on each eyelid and closing her eyes. "I know it's dumb, but she looks more peaceful like that," he muttered an explanation. His somber expression then changed quickly, to one of overwhelming surprise and confusion. Brooke didn't know what was going on as Lucas leaned his ear by Peyton's mouth, putting a hand on her chest.

"She's breathing, Brooke!" he exclaimed, both terrified and elated.

Brooke's jaw dropped. She could feel her legs giving out, so she sat against the wall. "What..." she breathed quietly. Lucas heard her though, and he could swear he saw a hint of anger flash in her eyes. But whatever flash he may or may not have seen was drowned by a fresh wave of tears, ones that he had to convince himself were joyful.

Thankfully he didn't have much time to think about it. Sirens wailed and he could see the red and blue lights flash through the curtains. The next thing he knew, paramedics burst through the front door, and Lucas focused all his energy on explaining the disaster he and Brooke went through.

* * *

**A/N: Ta da, Chapter 2! In case anyone was confused, that flashback bit was just a minor glimpse at Brooke a bit earlier. There will definitely be a full explanation of how Peyton was injured, though I'm not sure when.**

**dianehermans , thank you for your review! I feel the Pucas hate, haha. Personally, I despise that couple more than you will ever know. I don't like watching them on screen, they're cheating idiots. I used to be wholeheartedly Team Brucas, but now I feel that Luke is no longer good enough for her, now I'm just Team Brooke. The thing is though, I try to leave that out when writing. If I let my bias get into the story where it shouldn't be, the story will suffer. In the next chapter, your question will be answered, promise. Thanks for reviewing so so much, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.**

**I hope anyone reading enjoyed this chapter, too. As always, tell me what you think please! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter 3 is here! Have fun reading it, I know I enjoyed writing it.**

**Thank you everyone for reviewing, so so so so so much! I love reading what you guys have to say. There's a bit of a surprise in this chapter, maybe two for those who think Peyton's alive and kicking...**

* * *

The Test

It was all a blur to Brooke, the paramedics rushing into the house, picking up Peyton's limp form and laying her on the stretcher. Brooke was crying again, which surprised her. She didn't think she had the ability to form this many tears in one night.

Lucas was talking to the paramedics, telling them what happened, or at least the lie that Brooke had told him. They were about to wheel the stretcher out the front door when Peyton sat up, rigid, and pointed a zombie-like finger at Brooke.

"She killed me."

Brooke shook her head fiercely. "I didn't, Peyton, you're alive!"

"She killed me."

"No, no, I didn't, I swear!" Brooke screamed. She looked to Lucas for help, but he was kissing Peyton. His tongue was down her best friend's throat, again. "Lucas!" she yelled, disbelieving, but it seemed that neither of them could hear her.

The paramedics were enclosing Brooke. "No, she's lying! I didn't kill her!" Brooke kicked and fought them off, but there were three of them and they were grown men, much stronger than her. "No!" she kept screaming. "Lucas, help me!" The plea fell on deaf ears.

Brooke felt a sharp poke on her upper arm. One of the paramedics had injected her with something. Before she could even ask what it was, Brooke was slipping into darkness.

"Brooke!" she heard a voice yell. It wasn't enough to pull her from the darkness. "Brooke!" the same voice, again. It seemed clearer, louder. A faint, steady beeping started playing in the background. "Hey, wake up," the voice was more gentle this time. Brooke recognized the voice, a rough one belonging to a man. There was a hand on her shoulder trying to shake her awake.

"Mmm?" Brooke answered groggily.

"I think it's time for you to go home," the voice answered. Brooke's eyes fluttered open to see a man standing over her. He was unshaven, disheveled and more tired looking than her. He smelled faintly like scotch, too, Brooke noted. Then again, Larry Sawyer had a reason to be drinking.

Brooke nodded in response, glancing over at the hospital bed she was sitting by. "Call me if anything changes?" she asked Mr. Sawyer.

"Of course, Brooke, you'll be the first to know," he promised, helping her up and giving her an awkward, fatherly pat on the back before she left.

Brooke stumbled out of the room, she hadn't regained full control of her legs since waking up. She removed a cell phone from her pocket, dialing Lucas' number. "Hey," she answered. "Can you pick me up?" He agreed, and didn't even bother to ask where she was. Lucas knew.

Brooke closed her eyes and leaned her head against the hospital wall, sitting on a bench outside of the gift shop. She kept seeing that nightmare over and over in her head- being taken away for killing Peyton as Lucas reconnected with her. She didn't kill Peyton, though, she tried to tell herself to appease her conscience, but this was an argument of semantics. Brooke knew she may as well have killed Peyton. The fall that put her in a coma was her fault, and doctors had regrettably told them that it didn't look good. Brooke could be blamed for that, seeing as she took the time to call and talk to Lucas before they called the paramedics. The words haunted her- "Maybe if she had gotten here immediately the prognosis could have been better," the doctor admitted when Mr. Sawyer asked if there was any way Peyton's future could look better. That was her fault, Brooke knew beyond a shadow of a doubt.

She thought that this was what she wanted, but Brooke was wrong. She knew that none of this felt right. Brooke regretted every action she took that landed her here in this hospital. The revenge she got wasn't worth this guilt.

The worst part was when Lucas tried to soothe her. He would repeat that this wasn't her fault, that there was nothing she could've done, that everything would be okay. She knew that they were all lies, and Brooke had a suspicion that Lucas knew that, too. But so far he had not said anything about Peyton's peculiar and seemingly deadly accident, thankfully for Brooke.

Brooke was absorbed in thought until her phone started ringing, jerking her back to reality. Lucas informed her that he was outside the hospital and waiting for her. She got up and left, turning around one last time as if Peyton would be behind her, her finger pointing at her in that ghastly way, blaming her for everything that happened.

But she wasn't there. So Brooke walked outside and stepped into the car where Lucas was waiting. He gave her a soft, sympathetic smile, silently asking if she was okay. Brooke just sent back a look communicating that she didn't really want to talk. She let her head lean on the window, watching the scenery pass by as Lucas drove her home.

Seven days. That was how long it had been since the doctor had told them about Peyton's coma. That was how long she had kept a vigil over Peyton's bedside, waiting fearfully for the moment when she would wake, no matter how often the doctor insisted that moment probably would never come. Seven days was also coincidentally how late Brooke was. She hadn't dared to tell Lucas yet. Their lives were so complicated right now that throwing a possibly pregnancy into the mix would probably send both of them over the edge. So Brooke pushed it out of her mind, unsuccessfully of course, and decided to do something about it at a later date. It was probably just stress, anyway. She had read that your period could be late due to stress, and she was definitely stressing out. She denied the tugging feeling that was telling it that it was something more.

However, watching at Lucas as he drove home, Brooke felt an inexplicable urge to tell him now. She wasn't sure why, though deep down she was sure it had something to do with the fact that Lucas was much more likely to stay with Brooke if a baby was attached to the deal. She had been afraid during those seven days that Lucas would leave her. Clearly, he loved Peyton, so why was he even bothering staying with her? And without Lucas, Brooke was sure that she would not have made it through the past week. He couldn't leave.

"Luke, can we talk?" she asked. Now or never, she told herself. It was better to be honest with Lucas than hide something as momentous as this.

He turned his head towards her, concerned. He was sure that if Brooke finally made an effort to talk, her words would be very important. "Yeah, what is it?"

"I think I'm pregnant," she blurted, blurring the words together.

Lucas still understood, though. "What?" he asked, rhetorically. Lucas tried to focus more energy on driving than finding more questions to ask, since he was sure that he couldn't find the words.

"I'm not sure, but I'm late. I haven't taken a test yet," Brooke told him. Lucas took a sharp left into the U-turn lane, waiting for traffic to clear before changing direction and pulling into a drugstore that was previously on the other side of the road.

"Well, let's go," Lucas said, shutting off the car and helping a stunned Brooke out of the passenger's seat. She didn't budge though. "Listen, I know you're scared, Brooke. But running away from this is not going to do you any good. Whatever the answer is, you'll be more at peace once you know," Lucas reasoned, convincing Brooke to get out of the car and into the drugstore. She knew it was right, but the thought of avoiding the idea for a bit longer just sounded so blissfully ignorant.

Hand in hand, they walked to the aisle with pregnancy tests. Lucas was acting much more confidently than she was, though Brooke suspected that it was more false bravado than anything else. They settled on a plain packaged one that boasted a high rate of accuracy and clear results.

"Should we get two?" Brooke asked. She was gnawing on her lip, a nervous habit.

Lucas shrugged, grabbing their second choice off the shelf. "It can't hurt, right?"

They walked back to the front of the drugstore where the checkout lines were located. Brooke swore that the cashier, an elderly woman, was judging them. She could feel the heavy gaze of disapproval on her now red face. Lucas paid for their purchases and hastily exited the store with Brooke.

"You know," Lucas said once they were back in the car and on the road. "I think, no matter what these tests say, you should probably see a doctor."

Brooke nodded. "Yeah, I know."

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride until Lucas pulled up to Brooke's large house on the opposite side of Tree Hill from his own. "Hey, I'll just check if my parents are home real quickly. They shouldn't be, and if they aren't, I'll come get you. We should do this together."

"Okay," Lucas agreed. "And Brooke!" he called, causing Brooke to dash back to him, leaning down to the driver's side window. "I love you," he said, planting a firm kiss on her lips.

She grinned at the sign of reassurance. "I love you too. Be right back." Brooke walked up to the giant red front door and unlocked it with her key, looking around inside for any sign of parents. As usual, there were none.

"Coast is clear, Luke," Brooke informed him after returning to his car. They walked up the stairs, no words shared between them.

Lucas sat on her bed, holding the tests in a bag. "So," he said, trying to cut the awkward tension. "do you think we should do this now?" He looked over at Brooke, awaiting a reply.

"Yeah, I guess." She let out a sigh, feeling overwhelmed. Brooke held a hand out to get the pregnancy tests from Lucas. She took a tentative step into her adjoining bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Brooke picked at the box's plastic wrapping, trying unsuccessfully to remove it. Frustrated, she left the box at the sink and sunk down against her wall. She was sure that she couldn't do this. Could she really be a mother at age seventeen? It just seemed impossible.

And could Lucas be a father at seventeen? Karen would kill him, Brooke knew it. She was sure that Lucas' mother had probably been shoving birth control down his throat before he was even old enough to wonder what it was. Though, she thought, they had been using birth control. She never thought that ninety-nine percent effective would've failed her, though it seemed now like it could've.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Lucas' voice asked from behind the door.

"Yeah, one minute," she answered, shoving aside her worries and retrying her hand at opening the box. After all, maybe she was freaking out for nothing. They had to find out, Lucas was right.

Brooke won the second round of battling with the pregnancy test, and followed the directions closely. She read the last one aloud to herself. "Wait ten minutes for results." Those ten minutes sounded agonizing.

Brooke exited the bathroom, leaving the two tests on her counter. Lucas looked up expectantly at her, waiting for an answer. "We have to wait for them to...," she trailed off, unaware how to finish that sentence. No word fit quite right, but Lucas understood regardless, so Brooke dropped it.

After about four minutes of silence, something the pair had been sharing a lot of lately, Brooke whispered, "I don't think I can do this, Luke."

He rubbed her back soothingly, letting Brooke fall into his arms. "Hey, it's okay. Let's just wait for the results and then talk about it."

"No," Brooke insisted. "I really don't think I can handle a baby right now."

"So what are you saying, Brooke?" Lucas asked. "That if you're pregnant, you want to get rid of it?"

Brooke swallowed hard, audibly. "Maybe," she replied meekly. "Are you saying that you would want to raise this child?"

"I don't know," Lucas admitted. "I can't see myself raising a child right now. But I can't see myself aborting one, either," he added.

"Same here," Brooke sighed. "So where does that leave us?"

"What about adoption?" Lucas proposed.

Brooke bit her lip, the nervous habit making its return. "I don't know. It'd be really difficult, not that any other choice would be easy. But I'm not sure I like the idea of my child being out in the world somewhere, and me not knowing anything about him or her. Especially after it lived inside of me for nine months." Brooke made her displeasure of the idea evident.

"Okay, well... I'm going to be honest, Brooke, I'm really not a fan of abortion," Lucas said, acting a bit more blunt than he was before.

"Oh, what, and I am?" Brooke snapped back. She knew that the attack was unwarranted, so took a breath and apologized, "Sorry. I'm not either. But it seems easier, making all of this go away," Brooke confessed, throwing her head in her hands. "God, that sounds awful."

Lucas held her tightly. "It's okay. I understand," he consoled her. "I can promise you this, Brooke. If you are pregnant and we do end up keeping the baby, I'm going to be here for you. No matter what, nothing will be able to keep me away from you," he swore, moving Brooke to even more tears. She flung herself deep into his arms, the safest place she had been in a very long time.

"I love you so much, I really do," Brooke murmured into his shoulder before tilting her head up to give him a kiss.

"I love you even more than that," Lucas retorted playfully.

"Sorry Mr. Scott, but that's impossible," she laughed. It was the first time in a long time that she had laughed. It felt good. Though she quickly felt a sense of betraying Peyton, who currently could not laugh because of her.

"What about our parents?" Brooke randomly piped up, her concern making its way to the surface.

Lucas sighed as things got more and more real. "My mom's going to kill me. I highly doubt my dad will care much, though my uncle Keith will probably help my mom," he mused.

"At least you have someone that cares. My parents will express their high disappointment, and probably kick me out," Brooke spoke as if it were fact.

"I'll make sure you have somewhere to live, Brooke," he promised. Brooke leaned in for one last tight squeeze before realizing that their ten minutes were just about up.

"Luke?"

"Yeah, Brooke?"

"Do you think that you could look at the results? I'm really scared," Brooke asked apprehensively. She was wringing her hands and biting her lip, shaking a bit. She wanted to finally get this over with and just know if she was or wasn't pregnant, but her resolve was weakening.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I'll do it," he agreed. Giving Brooke a kiss on the forehead, he walked into the bathroom. Lucas' mind was fixated on a having a child. Could they really handle it? He doubted it, though he knew they'd try their hardest. But what if that wasn't good enough? And as for their other options, Lucas just kept thinking of his mom. What if she had aborted him, or put him up for adoption? He couldn't stand the thought of killing his own child, it made him sick. He would never tell Brooke that, though, since she was keeping that option open. He understood why, he just didn't agree.

Lucas picked up the two empty boxes, checking to see which results were negative and which were positive. On the first one, it would read 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant' and on the second one it would read 'positive' or 'negative.' He liked that there were actual words involved to get rid of the confusion. He picked up each of the results and read the results, quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.

Brooke thought he was taking far too long on purpose, to draw out her agony. She was more confused than she had ever been in her lifetime. It seemed that the only option they would agree on was keeping the baby, but that seemed so impossibly difficult. She examined her choices carefully.

A) get rid of the baby and have Lucas hate her for the rest of their lives. She knew that despite whatever he said, he would never treat her the same if she did that. He'd be furious and try to hide it; and she was sure that would slowly ruin them.

B) put their child up for adoption. But Brooke couldn't imagine getting rid of a child she'd cared for during nine months. She knew she'd get more than attached and refuse to let the baby go. And in the end, that would probably be Lucas' plan.

C) keep and raise the baby. She knew that with much effort and help, they could probably do a decent job. But it would kill them. On the other hand, it was what Lucas wanted. It would guarantee that he would be around to protect her and keep her safe. The idea of a perfect little family, something she never had, sounded so tempting. Brooke knew it wasn't practical, but she couldn't help but think about the old adage "and baby makes three."

After thinking about each choice, she knew what would happen. Neither of them were going to change each other's minds about abortion or adoption. Brooke didn't really want an abortion, after all, and she knew that Lucas wasn't going to be much happier with adoption. It was all or nothing. If she was pregnant, which she felt after talking with Lucas that she was, they were probably going to end up keeping the baby. Brooke tried to prepare her mind to get used to the idea.

Lucas finally emerged from the bathroom, a test in each hand. His face tried not to give anything away, but Brooke knew. Her suspicions were confirmed- she was definitely pregnant. Of course she'd still go to the doctor's to get everything settled away, but there was no going back now.

"You're pregnant," Lucas told her, unnecessarily.

Brooke closed her eyes and resisted the urge to vomit, something she realized she'd probably be doing for awhile. "What are we going to do?" Lucas didn't answer her, and she wasn't exactly waiting for an answer either. She knew that neither of them had a clue.

"Brooke, what is going on?" a cold voice snapped from her doorway. Brooke's jaw fell open, fear racing through her veins. Her phone began to ring, but she didn't dare reach to answer it. Larry Sawyer's call went to her voicemail.

"Mom..."

* * *

**A/N: Voila, Chapter 3. I don't think anyone expected this, or at least I sure hope not. I like to be surprising. Yes she's definitely pregnant. I decided not to make it some torturous cliffhanger, there will be plenty of time for that later. And Peyton's in a coma, one that doesn't look too promising. She isn't telling what Brooke did to her to anyone soon, so Brooke's avoiding jailtime for now, don't worry** jory-brucas101**!**

**I'm sorry **moonkisss**, but you can't sing just yet lol. Maybe in a few months' time...?**

dianehermans**, I told you your question would be answered now. Lucas and Peyton are not going to end up together in this story, it's definitely going to revolve around Brucas. :)**

**And **brucas10**, I hate Leyton too lol. Don't worry, Peyton's not talking to anyone in the near future.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed this addition, las always, feel free to leave me your thoughts!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ah another chapter! Aren't you lucky readers? Don't get used to it though lol, I've just got nothing else to do but write today. :)**

* * *

The Deal

"_Brooke, what is going on?" a cold voice snapped from her doorway. Brooke's jaw fell open, fear racing through her veins. Her phone began to ring, but she didn't dare reach to answer it. Larry Sawyer's call went to her voice mail._

"_Mom..."_

"I can explain," Brooke insisted, walking in front of Lucas as if she was his shield. She could only pray that Victoria had not yet seen the pregnancy tests.

Victoria gave her a fierce glare. "Well then, maybe you should," she spat.

But then Brooke realized that couldn't explain. She was muttering random syllables, stumbling over actual words that she couldn't quite say, "W-well, I-I."

"She's pregnant, Mrs. Davis." Lucas stepped in, doing what Brooke couldn't. He moved from behind her, taking her hand as a sign of support.

Victoria Davis gripped the door frame, feeling as if her legs were about to give out. For the first time in her life, Brooke watched her mother be shocked. It was as if she cared, but Brooke resisted the urge to believe that.

"Are you joking?" she asked, her face paling.

"No," Brooke said. "I'm pregnant."

Victoria clapped a hand to her forehead, massaging her temples. "Oh Jesus Christ," she muttered. "Well, what are you going to do?"

"I'm keeping it," Brooke informed her confidently. Lucas was unable to hold in his surprise. He shot Brooke a raised eyebrow, wondering if she was serious. She squeezed his hand, trying to convey that she was.

Victoria didn't seem to approve. "Are you sure?" she asked as if she was tempting a game show contestant to choose the other prize. "A baby is a lot of responsibility and I really don't think you can handle it, Brooke. You're too much of a spoiled princess to do something like this."

Brooke knew that this would be how her mother would react. She would try to tear her and her decisions down, leaving in place the "correct" choice according to Victoria Davis. It was how she had so much control over Brooke. Her low self-esteem made it easy for Victoria to dictate how she ran her life. However, Brooke could feel Lucas' support, and she knew that with him by her side, they could get through this. It wasn't going to be easy, and her mother was right- a baby is a lot of responsibility. Brooke fought to keep the succumbing reflex down.

"I know, mother. But I've made up my mind and that's what I'm going to do. I don't need your help, and I know you don't want to give it to me. So just go ahead and kick me out already." Brooke proudly stood her ground.

"As much as I'd love to do that and teach you a well-deserved lesson," Victoria sneered. "Your father is running for a seat in the senate. We're about to become a more public family. Kicking out your child doesn't seem like something a senator would do."

At this news, Brooke's mind did back flips and cartwheels, cheering inside of her skull. She wasn't being kicked out. This was fantastic. She'd be supported financially, and she might even be able to connive her way into an apartment for her and Lucas and the baby, along with enough money to get them settled while they were still in school. She prayed her father would win so that her already planned new life would stay true.

"Oh don't celebrate yet, Brooke." Apparently Victoria could smell the jubilation coming from her daughter. "I think we'll have to agree on something that works for us. You see, a pregnant teenage daughter isn't exactly _ideal_ either," she stressed the word "ideal," something Victoria strived to be. "I think we'll come up with a solution that is perfectly beneficial for the both of us." It sounded like a threat. Brooke knew that there would be some sort of catch; but no matter what it was, Brooke imagined that it would be worth it to stay financially stable.

Victoria stamped out of the room, quite angry that she wasn't getting her way and that she had to succumb to Brooke for once. As soon as she was out of sight, Brooke let out a squeal. "Do you know what this means, Luke? Daddy will give me money to stay quiet!" she cheered.

Lucas thought that sentence sounded ridiculously horrible, but he had to admit that, in their situation, it was looking to be quite a blessing. They had struck the jackpot, against all odds.

"What do you think your mom is going to want us to do?" he asked, the one aspect of the situation that truly had him a bit frightened.

"I'm not sure," Brooke admitted. "But whatever it is, I think I'll do it. If we play our cards right, we can get an apartment and have a bit of money set aside while we're still at school."

Lucas let out a breath. "That's amazing. Who ever would've thought that parents as neglectful as yours ended up saving our butts?" he wondered aloud.

Brooke shook her head, laughing in spite of the situation. "Not me, that's for damn sure. They've never helped me my whole life, but they did pick the best time to reluctantly start."

"Now all we have to do is tell my mom," Lucas reminded her.

"Oh yeah." Her face fell, thinking of how horribly wrong that could go. They couldn't get lucky twice. "Well, maybe we should get it over with."

"Maybe," Lucas said, not exactly enthusiastic about the idea. His mother was going to kill him, he was sure of it.

Brooke headed back into her bathroom, cleaning up the mess they had created. She changed her clothes, wanting to look a bit more presentable than the sweatpants and raggedy t-shirt combo she had been wearing at the hospital gave off. She slipped on a pair of fresh jeans, dark wash (the darker the wash, the fancier the jean) and a simple blouse. She brushed her teeth and hair, applying a bit of makeup afterward. Looking at herself in the mirror, Brooke looked like she could be perfect if she didn't look so confused. She settled for this anyway, leaving the bathroom to tell Lucas that he should probably freshen up as well. He listened.

Brooke sat on her bed, much more worried to tell Karen than she was her own mother. Karen, in the short time that they had bonded, was nicer to her than her mother had ever been. Karen was perfect, and Brooke couldn't stand to think of disappointing her. She was sure that Lucas' mother would hate her after this, a very upsetting idea. She was ruining her precious baby boy's future. Brooke would hate the girlfriend too if her baby got someone pregnant. Not that both parties weren't culpable, but there's just a certain temptation in blaming someone else that Brooke understood well.

Lucas emerged from the bathroom looking much more put together than before. Pleased, Brooke firmly took his hand as they left the house together. Before they could make it out the front door, Victoria stopped them.

"Brooke! Boy that got my daughter pregnant! Come here please, the two of you!" she yelled from what Brooke assumed was the kitchen. They followed her tormentingly cordial voice to find her seated at the Davis' breakfast bar, looking as if she were about to commit acts of evil.

"I have talked briefly with your father, Brooke," Victoria informed the pair. "We have decided on a course of action that I think you will find quite doable."

_'Here goes nothing,'_ they both thought. Brooke and Lucas knew that, despite the fact that Victoria's request would probably prove to be challenging, it was nothing compared to the challenging task of raising a baby on no income while you were in high school.

Victoria focused her speech at Brooke. "Your father wants us to appear as the perfect family. In his run for senator, this is crucial. As tempting as hiding you away may sound, we're afraid that someone will find you in a dig for dirt on your father. So we've decided to change your age. If anyone goes looking, they will discover that you are nineteen. Same goes for you, Lyle," Victoria gave a nod of her head in Lucas' direction. "We've also decided to draw up a marriage license for the two of you. Without both sets of parents agreeing to the marriage, it cannot be legal. However, I really don't care if it is legal or not. That's up to you two geniuses. Your father and I have agreed to give you an apartment, Brooke. A married couple with a baby on the way should not be living at home, that would look quite suspicious. We will also keep filling your bank account, so you have a bit more incentive to appear at public events with us, fulfilling your role of perfect daughter. Are we clear?" Victoria asked the pair of overwhelmed teenagers, treating the conditions as a serious business deal. To the Davis parents, it was.

Brooke turned her back to Victoria, turning around Lucas as well. "I think we should do it," she whispered.

"Get married?" Lucas hissed back.

"No, no. Everything else. Go along with being a nineteen year old married couple and attend the stupid speeches and we'll have an apartment and money. This is going to be good for us, Luke," Brooke insisted.

Lucas nodded in agreement. "You're right. What other choice do we have really?" Brooke shrugged as if to answer "none."

"We'll do it," both answered in unison. A pleased grin found its way onto Victoria's face, shaking her daughter's and her daughter's boyfriend's hands, sealing the deal.

"Good," she happily answered. "We'll get the details figured out later, I'll work on finding you an apartment and you tell me how much money you want a month. Mind you the bills for the apartment will come to us, so don't worry about those expenses. Have a good day, darling," she called to Brooke. It was all too sickeningly sweet, as if Victoria had an ulterior motive she was hiding.

Brooke quickly left, Lucas close behind her, not wanting to find out.

"That seemed too easy," Brooke muttered from the safety of Lucas' car, buckling her seat belt.

Lucas put the car in reverse and pulled out of the driveway. "You know what they say. Never look a gift horse in the mouth," he reminded Brooke.

"Yeah but I have a feeling that this gift horse is going to trample us," she said as Lucas drove off to his house. One set of parents down, one to go.

–

Not too much later, Lucas was parked in his own driveway. Brooke took in how inviting the small-but-charming home was. Nothing like her cold, large house. The family inside was just that, an actual family. It was a contrast again to Brooke's absentee parents.

The pair exited the car and walked to Lucas' front door, entering the house nervously. There was no way to truly predict how Karen would respond to their not ideal news. Brooke and Lucas were pretty sure that she'd be angry, and absolutely positive that she'd be disappointed. Of course there was only way to find out, and that was to tell her. They put on their brave faces and looked around the house for Karen.

"Mom," Lucas called, checking the kitchen as Brooke looked in Lucas' room. "Mom," he yelled again, louder, as they stopped searching. "I don't think she's home."

"Dodged a bullet, I guess," Brooke joked, breathing a real sigh of relief.

"She's probably at the café," Lucas mused. There really wasn't any other place she could be- home or the café, those were the only choices.

Brooke sat down on the couch, finally letting herself relax. "Do you think we should go there, then?" she asked, hoping Lucas would say no. She was so tired, and the idea of not talking to Karen until a later date sounded amazing.

"No," Lucas answered. "I don't want to bother her at work. We'll just talk to her tomorrow." He joined Brooke on the couch, collapsing beside her.

Before either of them could even take another breath, Brooke's phone trilled from its spot in her pocket. She got it out, flipped it open, and read the text message she got from Vegas, kindly informing her that there was a "fucking crazy" party going on next Friday. She quickly typed back a noncommittal "thanks."

"Who was it?" Lucas asked, curious.

Brooke rolled her eyes, answering, "Just Vegas, being an idiot." She was about to put her cell phone back in her pocket when she noticed that the 'Missed Call' and 'Voice Mail' icons were lit up in the tool bar at the bottom of the screen. Brooke checked who called, an unknown and unfamiliar number. She called her voice mailbox, pressing the keys that unlocked it and listening closely.

Lucas shot Brooke a confused look, one she returned with the same confused look. She focused on listening to the message left by the unknown caller.

"Brooke, it's Larry Sawyer," the gravelly voice revealed its own identity. "The doctor said that Peyton's brain was showing signs of action. It's really great news, but unfortunately nothing else has changed. I thought you'd want to know. Bye." Brooke snapped the phone shut, terrified that her nightmares would be coming to life. She tried to make herself look happy, as she should be.

"It was Mr. Sawyer," Brooke told Lucas. "He said that Peyton's brain was showing signs of activity." She tried to smile but just ended up looking like she had recently smelled something bad.

Lucas gave an actual smile. "Wow, that's great news. Maybe everything can go back to normal when she wakes up."

Brooke was unable to hold back her displeasure at that statement. She scowled and ducked into the bathroom, trying to recollect herself. Lucas was so unbelievably wrong. Nothing could go back to normal after this. Brooke didn't want things to go back to normal if normal meant Lucas cheating on her with Peyton. And how was it even possible for things to go back to normal if a baby was on the way for them? Brooke bit back her anger at Lucas. She didn't want to fight with him, not right now. She simply didn't have it in her.

Her phone buzzed with the alert of a new text message. It was her mother this time, emotionlessly informing her that she had an obstetrician's appointment tomorrow morning. Brooke splashed some water on her face and pretended for a second that none of this was happening to her.

* * *

**A/N: And scene. There's Chapter 4. Mostly just the Victoria confrontation this chapter, that was fun writing.**

**Thank you **othlife** for your review, you had a lot of good points. :) I'm also not a big fan of Lucas. I thought he redeemed himself in Season 2, but after Season 3 he turned back into a huge idiot jerk, basically. To answer your question; right now Brooke is really using Lucas as a form of protection and safety while she gets back on her feet after Peyton's "little accident." I can promise that she will bring his cheating to light... or maybe something or somebody else will?**

**And **Kimberlli**, Bitchtoria wasn't too angry! Of course she's a bitch, though, living up to her name.**

**Drop me a review if you liked it, I love getting them! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hopefully the chapter will suffice as an apology. I took a bit longer, but I've had things to do. :)**

**I should mention that Haley never caught Lucas and Peyton in the library, so if you happen to see a friendly Haley in this chapter, that would be why. Oh and flashbacks are in italics, blah blah blah.**

**Enjoy reading!**

The Baby

The nightmares never stopped. It had been a month since they started, and though they changed a bit, the general plot was the same. Some nights it was the same original one Brooke experienced to begin with- the scene with the paramedics.

After Brooke had gotten a call from Mr. Sawyer three weeks ago, a new nightmare came to light. This one featured Peyton, lying lifelessly in a hospital bed. Her heart monitor would give the shrill, steady beeping tone that signaled a dead patient. Lucas was crying at the side of the bed as Brooke stood and could only watch. Then her stomach began to hurt, a horribly sharp pain that shot up and down her torso. It crippled her, sending her to the floor of Peyton's hospital room. She would scream for help, for Lucas, for anyone or anything. There was never an answer. Right before she would wake up, she would hear Peyton's voice. "You killed me, and I'm going to kill your baby," came the awful, evil words, full of malice. Brooke would always wake up clutching her abdomen, her forehead glistening with sweat.

She was sure that no other nightmare could top that one. But one night, Brooke had her most vivid and terrifying dream ever. It was the scene from a month ago, the night Peyton was sent into the coma that was planning to steal her life. There was only one difference. Brooke was the cheating whore in the scenario, and Peyton fully intended on killing her. This one ended as Brooke tumbled into darkness; the last thing she saw was Peyton's furious grimace as she was shoved into the table. Was that her expression when she had delivered the fatal blow to Peyton? The thought made her sick, an unnecessary helping hand for her own morning sickness. This nightmare always caused Brooke to scream, jolting Lucas awake as well. There was no denying it anymore, he knew something was wrong- a topic he brought up in bed one night.

"Brooke," Lucas sighed exasperatedly, getting a glass of water from their kitchen. "That's the second time this week. What's wrong?" he asked tiredly.

Brooke bit her lip, dancing away from the question. "Nothing, Luke. I told you, the doctor said that nightmares are common during pregnancy," she lied. Whether or not this was true, she had no clue. But her doctor had told her no such thing.

"Yeah, okay, fine." He rubbed at his eyes, yawning. It was three in the morning and Lucas did not feel like going through this when they had to wake up for school the next -or that, technically- morning. He trudged back to bed, leaving his pregnant girlfriend alone in their kitchen.

Brooke silently rejoiced that Lucas had dropped the topic. It was bound to come up again sooner or later, but both of those options were more appealing to Brooke than tonight.

She moved around their new home instead of going back to bed. She wasn't tired, and no part of her cared to participate in another nightmare. One per night was more than enough. After all, the apartment her mother had gotten for them was beautiful. She couldn't ask for anything more. They had a decently sized kitchen, with new appliances and granite counter tops. Across from the kitchen was the dining room, an openly spaced area with an oak table that fit four. The only other way to get into the dining room was from the enormously spacious living room- complete with two comfy couches and a nice chair; a flat-screened, high-definition television; and a fireplace. The door in the back of this room led to the spare bedroom, where Brooke was already making design plans for a nursery. The only reason she had held back was that they did not yet know the baby's sex. Across from this room was the master bedroom, where Brooke and Lucas slept. They had a bathroom and a king-sized bed to call their own. Leaving through that hallway, the regular bathroom was on the right and an exit that landed back in the kitchen was further down on the left.

Brooke found herself where she always was, the spare bedroom. There was nothing in it. No bed, no dresser, nothing. Of course there was nothing in there, since no one was yet occupying the room. But Brooke wanted to fill the room up with baby furniture immediately. Her only hesitation came from the minor detail that they did not know if the baby was a boy or a girl. When Brooke impatiently asked her doctor when they would know that vital piece of information, she regrettably informed them that it wouldn't be available until her four-month checkup, and even then it wasn't a guarantee. Brooke was waiting on pins and needles for another two months when something wasn't even a guarantee.

For either gender, however, Brooke had the whole room planned out. Walking in from the living room, the dresser and changing table would be on the left. The dresser would be overflowing with the most adorable baby clothes money could buy. The changing table would be filled with none other than diapers, and the paraphernalia that came with diaper changing. To her right would be the large rocking chair she had her heart set on. She could already picture herself rocking her baby to sleep. The only thing this room was truly missing was the baby. Brooke already knew what furniture she would get- white painted with pink trim for a girl, or dark colored wood with blue trim for a boy. She also already had the paint colors picked out. Silk Sheets would coat the walls for a girl, Serene Sky for a boy. Everything was perfectly planned, just the way Brooke liked it.

She loved her all expenses paid life. Brooke was enjoying her own house with her boyfriend, and a large enough amount of cash to fall back on. Yes, it was a bit like them playing house; but Brooke knew it would be hard when the baby came. She wasn't being completely unrealistic. They had got lucky, she and Lucas both knew this. There were problems and details that they were working through, but for now, Brooke had a feeling that everything was going to be okay. Comatose cheating best friends and teen pregnancy aside, her life was great.

The last thing Brooke remembered was seeking out the couch in her living room, collapsing onto it and falling asleep. She hoped for no nightmares, knowing that it was a large request. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately, something made worse by the pregnancy. But Brooke could never seem to make herself go back to sleep after having a nightmare, until tonight.

"Brooke," a sing-song voice called her name. "Wake up Pretty Girl!" It was Lucas. Brooke smiled, still reluctant to open her eyes. "Come on, babe, we've got to get to school," Lucas informed her.

Brooke scowled. "What time is it," she asked, mashing the words together in her state of tiredness.

"7:45," Lucas answered. "I made breakfast, but you've got to hurry if you want any. We're leaving in an hour, and I know how long it takes you to get ready."

"Oh shut up, I'm awake," Brooke grumbled, walking back to her room, getting in the shower, and getting ready.

–

Brooke could not concentrate. In her defense, she never really could concentrate when it came to history. The subject bored her beyond belief. Who cares about old people doing dumb stuff? Not Brooke Davis. Also, this was one thing she actually had asked her doctor about: concentration. Even things Brooke loved to do, she could not focus on. Apparently being scatterbrained and having a low attention span was something that came with being pregnant. Fantastic.

She heard a few words from the teacher. "President," "general," "battle," "disease," and "war." "War" caused a memory to flutter into her mind.

_Battle is an understatement, I feel like we just fought a war," Lucas said. _They had just told Karen about the pregnancy. She did not take too kindly to the news, something both of them expected.

Brooke then began to think of her and Lucas actually telling Karen the news. It was much more interesting than whatever her history teacher was talking about.

_Three days had passed since Brooke and Lucas had told Victoria the news about Brooke's pregnancy. During those three days, Brooke had a doctor's appointment, one that had went well; Lucas had told his Uncle Keith that'd he need more hours, a request that came without an explanation; and both of them had accompanied Victoria in a search for an apartment. Things were going as well as they could be, and it was time to share the information with Karen._

_The café was empty, fitting seeing as closing time was quickly approaching. Lucas opened the door, the familiar "ding" of the bell ringing in his ears. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. As many times as he had entered his mother's café before, he knew that there was no way he would ever forget this one._

"_Hey Haley," he somberly greeted the girl wiping down the counters._

"_Hey Luke. How have you been?" she smiled at him, trying to offer a bit of comfort. They hadn't talked in what seemed like forever. Since Peyton's accident, Lucas had been enveloped in Brooke. She couldn't blame him, after all, Brooke probably needed him a lot more than she did right now. Haley let it go, assuming things would eventually return to normal._

_Lucas brushed off her conversation starter. "Good, good," he answered vaguely. "Hey, I'd love to talk, but I really need to tell my mom something. I'm sorry Hales, I'll talk to you later?"_

_Haley pretended not to be hurt. "Sure," she quickly snapped, turning away from Lucas and back toward the counters. He was supposed to be her best friend. Of course it stung when he blew her off like that. There was only so much benefit of the doubt she could give him before it was too much._

"_Mom?" Lucas called, sticking his head into the kitchen. She was standing there at the sink, looking slightly disheveled. Her hair was frizzy and sticking out of her short, curly ponytail in places. The apron sitting on her hips had various food stains splattering the black fabric. It was all signs of a hard day's work, signs that his mother was probably too tired to hear this news. But it was now or never._

"_Hey Luke," Karen greeted her son just as he expected her to. A quick peck on the forehead and a tired hello._

'Now or never,' _Lucas repeated to himself. "So, there's something I need to tell you."_

"_Karen!" Haley called from the other side of the café. "Everything's clean out here! Is it okay if I take off for the night?" she requested._

_Karen held up one finger, as if she were putting her and Lucas' conversation on pause. "Of course Haley, I'll see you tomorrow sweetheart." And with that, the brunette teenager was dismissed for the night. At least Lucas didn't have to worry about having an audience to what was sure to be the fight of the century._

"_What was it you were saying, Luke?" Karen asked, a smile firmly planted on her lips. _'Not for long,'_ Brooke thought to herself._

_Lucas looked towards Brooke, as if their nonverbal communication could tell Karen what was going on and solve their problem at once. "Lucas Eugene," Karen pushed, a more threatening strain in her voice. "What is going on?" she demanded._

"_Brooke's pregnant, ma," he confessed, hanging his head in shame and walking away. Brooke watched him go, refusing to believe that Lucas was this ashamed of her. She was standing, frozen, unsure of what to do next. Brooke honestly thought Karen might hit her, so she took a few steps back, keeping away from the path from Lucas to his mother._

_Karen said nothing, but her eyes said it all for her. They were thin slits, furious and ready to kill. However, the irises, if you looked closely, were swimming with tears of pain. Ones, Brooke assumed, were for Lucas' repetition of her unfortunate mistakes. "Get out," she whispered. Her voice sounded as if she was trapped in a desert and had not drank for days. A thin and determined finger pointed toward the door. "Get out!" she bellowed again. Lucas ran, not having to be told a third time._

_Brooke was left in the café alone with Karen, scared out of her mind and still frozen on the spot. Karen only turned on her heels and marched furiously back to the kitchen, where she finished cleaning with much force. Pots clanging were the only thing masking Karen's heaving sobs from the sink. Brooke couldn't take it anymore, and walked up to the woman._

"_I'm so sorry," she whispered. Brooke reached out tentatively to touch Karen's arm, but retracted the gesture. The last thing she wanted was a limb amputated._

_Karen looked up at Brooke, disappointed and shocked. "Get out," she sighed, much less vigor in the statement than before, when it was directed at Lucas. Brooke figured she wasn't worth the effort, which was a good call on Karen's behalf, and she left the café without being told twice._

_Lucas was sitting on a bench nearby, his head in his hands. To the rare passerby, he probably looked exactly as he felt- destroyed._

"_Let's go, Luke. You can stay at my house, it's not a big deal," Brooke said, trying to lift him up. She, naturally, was no match. Since Lucas wasn't budging, she gave up and began to walk home. "Fine!" she yelled, causing a few heads to turn. "Sit here and brood and mope! I'm a whore and Peyton's just about dead and Mommy kicked you out, little Lucas has nothing left to live for, right? Am I right, Lucas?" Brooke screamed and screamed until her emotion was successfully vented._

"_You don't understand," Lucas retorted. "Your parents said "Okay, fantastic, let's get you an apartment and a bunch of money and help them live happily ever after." My mother, the only person who has ever been behind me one hundred percent besides my uncle Keith, has just indefinitely shut me out of her life. You have no idea, Brooke," Lucas accused her, finally rising from his seat and walking in the opposite direction._

"_I have no idea?" she hissed. The words would probably haunt him for a while, Lucas knew as soon as she said them. "I have parents who, after almost seventeen years, have finally started to help me, but of course there's strings attached. And your mother calm down and start dealing with this more rationally, but my parents? Lucas, my parents don't give a damn about me and they never truly will. Karen loves you, so much that she yells and fights. My parents throw a house at me and think they're being parents of the year. Don't you dare tell me I have no idea. I know how if feels to be abandoned, I've dealt with that since birth," Brooke fought, her cheeks soaked with tears that were sticking to her face in the cold weather. "Fuck!" she cursed, not that it helped anything besides to vent a small amount of her anger._

_Lucas stared at Brooke blankly as she swore, unable to come up with anything that could possibly defend himself. He bridged the gap between them in two large strides and held her as tight as he could without possibly hurting her. "Brooke," he began to apologize._

"_Don't," she cut him off, letting herself relax in his arms. "You've got Dan. As much as my parents don't care about me, they have housed and fed me, so I'd say we're even," she teased._

"_You really think she'll come around?" Lucas asked apprehensively after they started their walk to the car. His hand was slipped around her waist as he led her through downtown Tree Hill._

_Brooke tilted her head upwards, eye-to-eye with him. "I know she will. Give her a few days to be furious, let her take a break after that battle we just had," Brooke suggested, feeling confident about her assessments; though at the same time, she was praying that she was right._

"_Battle is an understatement, I feel like we just fought a war," Lucas said as the pair got in the car and drove to Brooke's home to sleep for the night. Soon enough they'd have their own place and this wouldn't be a problem._

The bell rang, jerking Brooke back to earth. She followed her classmates into the halls and headed to lunch, finding Lucas at a table they had claimed as their own. Haley joined them, dragging a reluctant Nathan along. He and Lucas did not talk to each other at all, just like any other time at Tree Hill High School. The quartet enjoyed their food and light conversation until Brooke decided to check her phone.

"Hey, I'll be right back," she told everyone. "I have to make a call," her voice was worried, upset. Something was wrong.

Lucas noticed. "Is everything okay?" he asked, rising up from his own seat and preparing to follow her.

"No, I'm fine Luke. I'll be right back," she promised.

Brooke walked towards the parking lot, trying to stray away from noise and eavesdropping. She flipped open her phone and called the number that had called her. She felt like a bundle of nerves was in the pit of her stomach. Was Peyton awake? Did she reveal what happened? Was Brooke going to jail? Brooke hit "send" and took a deep breath to prepare herself.

Back at the lunch table, Haley asked if Nathan could throw away her trash. He saw the opportunity to be dismissed from the table and snatched it. Nathan got up and ran from the table as if it were on fire.

"So what's up, Luke?" she asked her best friend. Haley had been waiting for a moment to talk to Lucas, just the two of them. He was always working or with Brooke these days. Lunch was basically the only time they ever saw each other.

"About that call?" Lucas asked. "I don't know."

"No, about you," Haley qualified. "What's up with you? Something is wrong, I can tell. I'm your best friend, you can't hide things from me. And at work, Karen seems angry all the time. I went to your house last week and asked for you, she said you don't live there anymore and started crying. Lucas, what's going on? Tell me," she pleaded.

"Brooke's pregnant." Haley clapped a hand over her mouth. "And we have an apartment together," Lucas continued. "Her parents are basically paying us off. I would object to it, but then neither of us would have a place to live."

"Wow," Haley breathed. "Okay." She was trying to work through this in her mind. Her best friend was having a baby. She expected something else, nothing this big. Haley was shocked.

Lucas wanted to tell Haley about his suspicions over Peyton's accident, but he had no proof. Saying something like that might alienate Brooke for Haley, and he wanted the two girls to get along. Lucas kept his mouth shut, deciding to share his worries with Haley once he had real proof.

Brooke walked back to the table as if she were a zombie, slow and steady. Her jaw was dropped, and stayed that way until Lucas asked her what was wrong.

"Haley, do you think Lucas and I could be alone for a moment?" Brooke asked, hoping she would comply. This wasn't something she wanted to have Lucas' best friend overhear. This wasn't something she wanted to say either, but Brooke knew she had to say something.

"Sure. I think Nathan's lost anyway, I should go find him," she joked, laughing awkwardly before quickly walking away from the table.

"Brooke-" Lucas began, his voice heavy with concern.

She held up a hand to stop him from talking. "No, Lucas. Just shut up." She was angry, Lucas remarked. What did he do wrong? Why was she angry? "That was the hospital," Brooke said. All of her words were slow, as if she couldn't choose what to say next until the first word was already said.

"Is Peyton awake?" he asked. Brooke could hear the longing in his voice, and she felt as if someone had stabbed her heart with a jagged piece of glass.

"No." She quickly dashed those hopes. Lucas' face fell, wondering what the news would be instead. "The doctor said that Mr. Sawyer left and signed his rights away to me. The doctor had a bit of a problem with this, because he knows I'm only sixteen. Lawyers have to look at the case, but he wanted to let me know that it's quite possible that my parents are now Peyton's legal guardians."

Lucas' jaw dropped as well, a look of disbelief taking over his face. His image now mirrored Brooke's just moments ago. "Wow, that's... wow." Lucas couldn't find the words. "Why did Mr. Sawyer leave?"

"I don't know. Probably because he's watched his daughter lie in that hospital bed for a month with barely any change," Brooke speculated. "I would be pretty fed up, too. I don't think I could watch my child waste away like that," she admitted, feeling guilty. There was a tug from the pit of her stomach from the words "my child." Hypothetical situations were one thing, but Brooke realized that this was no longer hypothetical. She very well could watch that happen to her child if she wasn't lucky.

Lucas nodded in agreement. There was nothing else he could add to the conversation. Even if he wanted to talk, his voice wouldn't let him. This suited him perfectly, seeing as he had no ideas to share anyway.

"There's more, actually," Brooke continued. Lucas could tell that this new information was complicated. The way Brooke's brow was scrunched in confusion gave it away. "Seeing as my parents are going to be her legal guardians, he wanted me to tell them that there was some news about Peyton's condition. I convinced him to just tell me." Brooke gulped before finishing. As difficult as those sentences were to share with Lucas, this last one would be the hardest to relay. "It seems that Peyton...." Brooke trailed off, unable to finish.

"What is it, Brooke?" Lucas demanded impatiently.

She closed her eyes, pretending that she was back in the baby's nursery. There she was, rocking her napping bundle of joy while seated in her rocking chair. There was a whining coming from the crib. Brooke looked down to make sure that her baby was still sleeping peacefully in her arms. She walked toward the crib in the corner, looking into it to find another baby. This one had blond curls and an evil look on its face. Brooke opened her eyes, more afraid of the small daydream than telling Lucas.

"She's pregnant. Peyton is pregnant."

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**A/N: Sooooo... how'd you like it? Surprised? Furious? Confused? All of the above? Sorry to spring that one on you, but I've had that planned since the beginning.**

**Concerning Brooke and Lucas: I know it might seem like they're in happy-go-lucky lovey-dovey nothing-wrong land, and that's because they are. They haven't been working out their problems properly if at all, and this will change because of this new announcement here.**

**Concerning Peyton: I probably won't tell you if/when she's going to die; if/when she's going to wake up; if she were to wake up, would she tell on Brooke/forget everything/get with Lucas/etc.; or much about her pregnancy. But if you say something, I might drop a hint, because I just can't help myself lol. Just don't expect a full, clear answer. After all, revealing everything that's going to happen isn't any fun, right?**

**Concerning Haley and Nathan: I just want to try to answer some questions preemptively and tell you what I plan on doing with them. They aren't going to be a focal point in this story because that's just not how it's going to be. However, there will definitely be a cameo or two because they are relevant to the main focus- Brooke and Lucas. While I might drop a line time to time about what they're doing, there probably won't be anything like them getting married/Haley leaving/Nathan being emo/pregnancy because that would just detract from what I'm doing with the Brooke-Lucas-Peyton love triangle.**

**Hopefully that answers questions, but if not, feel free to leave questions/comments/concerns/ideas/whatever your heart desires in a review. I love reading them, you guys make me smile. :)**

jory-brucas101**, I miss them too! Old Brucas, of course, the classic Season 3 stuff always warms my heart! And a cheer at Peyton's funeral is brilliant, I might use that one haha. Everything was going great for Brooke until now, but you know I can't resist giving her a happy ending... :)**

dianehermans,** thank you! And it might be the next chapter or the one after it; but the cheating is definitely coming up.**

**Oh and a question for you guys... I'm thinking that I might flash-forward with the story a bit (maybe a year?) and then you'll have the blanks filled in with juicy flashbacks. What do you guys think?**

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